Musician David Crosby spoke with me today after his talk at the Shadow Convention. Crosby, who recorded "Four Dead in Ohio" about the Kent State student protest killings by the National Guardsmen in the 70s, said that the current attitudes and atmosphere on the streets between LAPD and protestors in LA (during the Democratic Convention) are sometimes out of control but should be looked at reasonably. He noted that the intentions of both the protestors and the LAPD are to do what's right. "People get excited, the protestors feel very strongly about the issues at stake to save the planet, and then both sides lose control."

Crosby noted that "Police are also human beings and are not always stormtroppers, and at the same time, the demonstrators are not commies from under the bed. Both sides need to give each other more space."

Crosby also pointed out that citizens in the street with important issues should not be labeled as protestors, and "to call people freely assembling with permits as 'protestors' is very wrong. We have a Constitutional right to assembly and to exercise our free speech. If we are harrassed and told we can't exercise this Consitutional right then it is out of line." He urged demonstrators to do their actions "peacefully and calmly."

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